In a conventional thermal printing apparatus of the above type, a ribbon feeding mechanism is provided for supplying a fixed amount of the thermal transferable ribbon at desired timing during printing on the non-heat-sensitive paper. The feeding mechanism continues its feeding motion even during printing on a sheet of heat-sensitive paper without the thermal transferable ribbon.
In such a thermal printing apparatus with the foregoing construction, however, it is unnecessary to continue the feeding motion of the feeding mechanism during printing on the heat-sensitive paper. Further, in a printing apparatus constructed so as to drive both a ribbon feeding mechanism and a carriage driving mechanism by a common drive source, an excessive load is imposed on the common drive source owing to the ribbon feeding motion when the carriage is driven during printing on heat-sensitive paper, thus rendering it difficult to achieve a high speed printing.